Hundreds of Turkish Americans turned up on Saturday at New York's Manhattan for the Turkish Day Parade to celebrate the annual festival highlighting the unity and solidarity of the diaspora in the United States.
The parade took over a stretch of Madison Avenue in Midtown, under rainy skies.
Participants in the parade marched along the avenue from East 53rd to East 47th Street, carrying Turkish flags, singing and dancing.
Organized by the Federation of Turkish American Associations (TADF), the parade marked 40 years in 2023.
A convoy of vehicles belonging to various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the parade, driving on the avenue.
Turkish Ambassador to the U.N. Sedat Önal and Turkish Consul General Reyhan Özgür greeted marchers and the convoy.
Participants later gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the U.N. complex and enjoyed Turkish food, music and culture.
Türkiye's U.S. Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan told the crowd in a video message that this year's parade was particularly important as 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.
He said the parade brought Turkish Americans together following deadly earthquakes that hit Türkiye on Feb. 6.
Mercan expressed gratitude to the diaspora in the U.S. for their solidarity with quake victims.
Trucks displaying pictures of the devastation drove along Madison Avenue during the parade.
Some Turkic countries and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also participated with a convoy of vehicles.
Joining the Foundation for Children with Leukemia's (LÖSEV) convoy, Kaya Canikligil, 18, told AA, ''Having known people who have had their lives significantly impacted by leukemia and cancer, LÖSEV is a foundation that I endear as it raises awareness for these causes.''
The Turkish Day Parade was first held in 1981 in response to the assassination of Turkish diplomats in the U.S. by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) terrorist organization in New York.
